8 things to do with placenta after birth – from making smoothies to body butter

If you've ever wondered about the things you can do with placenta, you're in luck.

As any mother knows, the placenta nourishes your baby while it's in the womb, making it one of the human body's most incredible (temporary) organs. It's packed with nutrients, and some feel it's a waste to simply dispose of it after they've given birth.

Ultimately it's up to the individual to choose whether to leave it at the hospital or to take it home. And if it's the latter you're interested in, it's apparent that people are getting creative with what they do with their after-birth.

There are a number of things you can do with your placenta (Credit: Unsplash)

Things to do with placenta

Many people will testify to the benefits of eating it. This entails dehydrating the placenta, and putting it into pill form. It's said to have a lot of regenerative benefits, and allegedly helps with the post-partum healing process.

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But while taking it in pill form seems the best way to consume your placenta without getting squeamish, others are getting far more creative with it.

Some people stitch their afterbirth into a teddy bear (Credit: Unsplash)

Stitch a teddy bear from it

This is achieved by cutting and curing the placenta, before drying it out and then stitching it into an adorable toy design. The mastermind behind it is designer Alex Green. She said it helps "celebrate the unity of the infant, the mother and the placenta."

Fertilize the garden

Done to symbolise the growth of your child as the tree or flower planted above the placenta spurts up, this is a pretty sentimental one. Just beware of your dog digging around in the garden for too long...

Other popular options include blending it into a smoothie (Credit: Unsplash)

Put it into smoothies

Yep, throw it into your blender raw, with your favourite berries and choice of milk, and off you go.

Make it into a lasagna

Some people would rather cook it, with several people saying they've added it to lasagnas. Others opted to substitute it for the meat in Shepard's Pie. And some have put bits of it on a pizza as an alternative, nutrient-dense topping. Bon appétit.

Repurposing placenta has been a growing trend in recent years (Credit: Unsplash)

Make art from it

Some people choose to make art prints from it. All you need is good watercolour paper before making a print with your placenta. You'll be left with something that looks like a tree, a balloon, a jellyfish, or whatever else your imagination allows.

READ MORE: Are home births safe? The pros and cons explained by mums

Make it into jewellery

It's surprisingly easy to encapsulate into gem-like forms, which means many mothers are reaching out to jewellery makers on Etsy and Instagram to get part of their placenta immortalized into a ring, necklace, or earring. The results are pretty beautiful.

It's ultimately up to the mother what she chooses to do with afterbirth (Credit: Unsplash)

Use it for facials

Jennifer Lopez and Victoria Beckham are among celebs who specifically seek out facial treatments made with the stuff. It's extremely rejuvenating thanks to the unique type of stem cell found in the placenta which helps generate new skin cells.

Make it into body butter

The number of recipes available online to make your own placenta body butter might surprise you, but people say that rubbing the balm onto skin helps reduce signs of ageing, soothes rashes and cuts and even helps heal the scar if you've had a C-section. It involves dehydrating the placenta and then grinding it to a powder to mix into the butter.

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No matter whether you choose to keep your placenta after giving birth or not, there certainly are many ways in which you can repurpose it.